Can you tell us who Alexandre Mea is and where his passion for viticulture comes from?

Alexandre Mea - I consider myself an avant-gardist. I grew up in a small village in the Marne, in the heart of the Champillon vineyards. This passion for wine comes from my family, especially my grandfather. In fact, I am the fifth heir to the heritage of Champagne Devavry.

Aesthetic, bold and creative, I decided not to take over the management of my family business, but to create my own Champagne house. So I started Champagne Carbon with my grandfather's oldest cuvées.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Alexandre Mea - I have to admit that my days are eventful, I run everywhere (laughs). I usually travel abroad a lot to promote my champagne around the world, but due to the COVID-19 situation, I'm travelling less and spending my time between my two offices in Champillon and Reims; most of my international meetings now take place by phone or video conference.

Who or what inspires you in life, and why? Do you have a role model?

Alexandre Mea - I think the founder of Tesla, Elon Musk, has inspired me a lot. I recognise myself in his values, he is a visionary, he is the visionary of tomorrow's world, he likes to break the rules and make things happen. And that's what I'm striving for with Carbon: to revitalise champagne by offering a product that combines tradition and modernity.

Please take us through the history of Carbon, when and how did it all begin? What does the name of the champagne mean?

Alexandre Mea - Carbon is the result of long and intense reflection, experimentation and work. The story of Champagne Carbon began a few years ago. The first bottles were launched in 2013, but the adventure began long before that, after four years of research and innovation to create the perfect balance between our wines and our Carbon bottles.

The meaning of this name is simple, but at the same time it refers to the essence of life. Carbon is not only our raw material for the production of our bottles, but refers to everything in life: Carbon DNA, carbon dioxide, etc.

That's why our leitmotif/principle on social media is #lifeisallcarbonbased. Our brand is unique and goes beyond the champagne itself, it is an emotional and inspiring experience. Our brand is the link to the dynamics of life and challenges!

How many ranges do you have and which one is most in demand?

Alexandre Mea - Champagne Carbon has 2 ranges. Firstly, the Carbon range, which gives our brand a real identity and is the result of more than four years of research and development. All the bottles are made of carbon fibre, which requires 37 artisanal production steps. Everything is handmade, that's our DNA. This is how we have created our brand, by combining the experience we have gained over the last 150 years in the production of champagne with a new area of expertise: the craftsmanship of carbon fibre.

To adapt to this crisis situation, we recently wanted to offer more people the opportunity to taste our CARBON champagne and feel its high quality. This gave rise to the idea of developing a new carbon experience with our sleeve range.

This new concept was launched last September 2020. We keep the carbon effect and the same quality of our champagnes, but use different materials to create the packaging of our beautiful bottle.

We offer a unique selection of exquisite champagnes: Brut, Rosé and Blanc de Blancs vintages, Cuvées Bugatti EB.01 2002, Bugatti EB.02 vintage 2006 or vintage 2012. We try to create carbon for all, as Life Is All Carbon Based.

Interview from Rhapsody Magazine